The Western Cape Education Department says a R790 million budget cut has impacted its plans to build 21 new schools in the province.
Spokesperson for the department, Bronagh Hammond, said that about 18,000 new learners from outside the province would need to be placed at the start of the school year.
Hammond said that the department could only build nine new schools as a result of the budget cuts from national government last year.
“It’s nine new schools and then additional classrooms that we are placing onto existing schools and that equates to 608 additional classrooms.”
She said the department’s plans to build 21 new schools were halted by budget cuts in June last year.
“Unfortunately, that cuts hit our infrastructure budget the most. Our conditional grant for infrastructure was cut by R179 million, and then a further R243 million had to be taken off our infrastructure budget.”
Hammond has urged parents to be patient when trying to get their children placed in schools this year.
